Naomi Osaka Pulls Out of a Match Because of a Knee Injury

MASON, Ohio — Just a little greater than a week earlier than she is to start defending her United States Open title, Naomi Osaka injured her left knee and deserted a quarterfinal on the Western & Southern Open on Friday afternoon.

In the third set of a match towards Sofia Kenin, Osaka appeared to have taken management, successful six of eight video games earlier than jamming her knee as she landed on her service movement. Osaka then walked to her chair to obtain medical consideration, and after an analysis, her knee was taped.

She returned to the courtroom 10 minutes after she left, taking part in two extra factors haltingly, dropping each, after which stoping to present Kenin a 6-Four, 1-6, 2-Zero victory.

Osaka, 21, limped into the interview room an hour after the match, with an ice pack strapped to her knee. When she reached the stairs resulting in the rostrum, Osaka smiled wearily, then used her arms to hoist herself up.

“I mean, yeah, it sucks,” she stated, “especially since I didn’t want to get injured this close to the Open,” including that, “And now I’m kind of worried a little bit.”

Osaka stated she didn’t but know what type of harm she had sustained, including that she has a excessive ache tolerance that usually leads her to underestimate accidents. Continuing towards Kenin “wasn’t safe,” Osaka stated, however she insisted she was decided to play on the U.S. Open, which begins on Aug. 26.

“I don’t even really think about winning the tournament; I just want to have the chance to play it, you know?” Osaka stated. “I feel like this might have that 1 percent chance of me not being able to play, and that’s what’s concerning me. In the end, I’m going to play even if the doctor says ‘no.’ Probably.”

After successful the Australian Open in January, Osaka had struggled for a number of months, however she gave the impression to be rediscovering her type in current weeks. She additionally reached the quarterfinals of the Rogers Cup in Toronto final week, dropping a rematch of last year’s U.S. Open final against Serena Williams.

Williams also has struggled with injury recently this week, retiring from the final in Toronto after four games because of back spasms and then, with the injury lingering, she withdrew from the Western & Southern Openshortly before her first match.